Undertale: Chronicle - 1 - Catalyst
by TheOriginalTale
Summary: Every story has a beginning. The first chronological story in the Undertale: Chronicle AU.
1. Expedition

_**AUTHORS NOTE**_

**This story is going to be taking place nearly 2,000 years prior to the events of Sole Sufferer. This is chronologically the first story in the Undertale: Chronicle AU. As such, all names present in this story will be unfamiliar. I am in the process of writing articles for characters not yet introduced on the Undertale: Chronicle wiki. For now though, here is a short timeline of events leading up to this story to provide you all with some context to the story. If you have further questions, do not hesitate to ask me and I will do my best to answer them.**

**Roughly 8 years prior to the events of Catalyst, the human kingdoms of Daica, Vaerin, Gouven, Ayilum, Truseon, and Kralum launched a joint expedhition across the western sea in an effort to discover what was on the opposite end of the continent. Instead they discovered an entirely new continent, where colonies were established.**

**On the mainland, these kingdoms recognized the effort to send a second expedition around the new continent would be too great, and so they decided to send explorers through the massive mountain range dividing the continent in two. There are many rumors about this range, as nobody to have entered it has ever returned. Bravely, the team of explorers entered the range. That was 19 days before the start of this story.**

**With that brief history, we are caught up. Again if you have further questions, please do not hesitate to ask them. I will be more than happy to answer them to the best of my ability. Enjoy!**

* * *

The small fire crackled, three more embers shooting upward into the night sky. Dennis stared into the flames as the shadows danced on the walls of the cave behind him. He glanced up along with his two companions as a fourth emerged from around the bend, carrying a small armful of twigs. One of Dennis's companions spoke to him in their native tongue.

"You've been out there for nearly an hour, Thomas, is that really all you could find?"

Thomas nodded. "Aye, Oliver. There's practically nothin' living in these mountains. It's like a wasteland." Dennis stared back into the flames, watching the campfire as Thomas dumped his meager load onto the pile. He shook his head.

"We should never have come here."

The other man with them looked up. "What makes you say that?"

Dennis met his eyes. "Alexander, do I need to really explain myself? Look around you! The whole place is a bloody death trap! I mean, when we were sent off on this journey, did you, or hell, any of us ever stop to think that maybe the rumors would be true?!"

Oliver looked over to him. "Dennis, I think you might be exaggerating a little."

Thomas sighed. "No, he has a point. We've been out here for nearly three weeks now, and we've seen no end to these bloody mountains, much less signs of life."

Dennis sighed. "Why are we even out here in the first place? I've damn near forgotten with everything that's happened!"

Alexander, feeling cheeky, responded. "We were supposed to just find out what's beyond the mountain range and report back. That was the mission."

Dennis shook his head. "What good does knowing what's beyond the mountain do? I mean it's not like they could possibly send more expeditions out to colonize it, it'd be a suicide mission!"

Thomas scoffed. "What do you think we are?"

Oliver tried to keep positive. "Come on lads, it's not _that_ bad, is it? You're being a bit dramatic."

Dennis stood up, glaring down at him. "Look around you, Oliver! There were twenty of us when we set off! Where did the others go?! They're _dead_, Oliver! _Dead_! And we're not far off either! Our food rations were supposed to last us a trip there and back, we haven't even gotten there, if there is even anything to see, and we're nearly out! We'll at best starve to death!"

Oliver couldn't think of a rebuttal and he hung his head. The other two looked down pensively as Dennis continued ranting.

"You think there's going to be some grand funeral for our sacrifice?! That they'll look for our bodies to bury us?! They won't! These cursed rocks will be our tomb, and we'll just be forgotten by the world! It'll be as if we never existed!"

Alexander looked up hopefully, his cheeky look now gone. "But...if we succeed...we will be remembered by all of history…"

Dennis shook his head. "We aren't going to succeed, laddies. Face it, we don't have a chance. But...in the slim chance that we do find something at the end of all this...you can mark my words, I'm not going back."

Oliver was shocked. "But, that's treason! We've already received payment for the expedition!"

Dennis scoffed. "What are they going to do, Oliver? Hunt us down?"

Oliver stood up to face him. "I can't let you do it, Dennis. It's wrong."

Dennis's glare challenged him. "Who's going to stop me, you?"

Oliver took his sword from its sheath, pointing it at Dennis's chest. Alexander stood up. "If it comes to that, then aye. I will."

Dennis drew his as well, readying himself. "Alright then, bugger, let's see what you're made of!"

Thomas stepped forward, pushing them apart. "Oi, you two, that's _enough_!" The three looked over to him. He huffed.

"This journey has been hard on all of us. I understand, Dennis, why you'd think the way you did. But fighting amongst ourselves isn't going to solve anything. We need to work together if we're going to have a chance at surviving this. Let's...get through these mountains first, and we'll figure out what to do when we're there, alright?"

Dennis and Oliver both slowly nodded, proceeding to sheathe their swords. Thomas folded his arms, satisfied at the restored peace. "Alright. Now if you two blokes are finished, I'd advise getting some sleep. I'll take first watch tonight."

With the tension extinguished, more or less, the three began to drift off to sleep, while Thomas sat down at the mouth of the cave, gazing out to the desolate mountain range beyond.

* * *

The morning brought heavy rain. Despite the downpour, the group set off regardless. They wanted to take every advantage of the daylight possible. The universal decision to not journey at night had been made when two of the original twenty explorers were killed by a loose ledge, invisible in the night.

The 19 day journey had brought new obstacles every day. Sometimes they would find themselves in large ravines where they had to watch the sides of the mountains for potential rockslides. Other times their journey took them along narrow pathways barely wide enough to stand upon. These areas had proved to be the most deadly of the journey, especially during the rain, when the rock became nearly as slippery as ice.

But today, despite the rain, the going was much easier than normal. They were all hoping it meant the end of the journey would be arriving soon. The rain only lasted through the early hours of the morning. Before midday it had ceased and the sun was poking through the clouds.

Shortly after the sun broke free, they rounded one of the high cliffs, and froze in joy. Splayed out in front of them was a wide expanse of green. Forests were visible on the horizon, and large fields spread out before them. They had reached the end of the range. Alexander chuckled, then broke out in joyous laughter, soon joined by the other four. Dennis could only gaze on in amazement.

"I can't believe it! I was beginning to think I would never see this amount of green again!"

It didn't take long though before Oliver noticed something odd. "Oi! Look over there! Smoke!" He pointed with a finger. Sure enough, thin wisps of smoke wafted up and into the air. They followed the smoke down, and saw it originated from a small house sitting at the edge of the field. A closer look at the field by the house showed it was actually farmland. Thomas stared in bewilderment.

"A settlement? Here?"

Oliver scratched his chin. "You don't suppose this was built by a different explorer, do you?"

Thomas shook his head. "No, no. See down there? That looks like there might be stables down there as well. This settlement has been here for many years."

Alexander chimed in with his opinion. "Who do you suppose owns it then? If it's not one of the others before us?"

Thomas shrugged. "Only one way to find out." He led the way as he began to descend down the slope, leaving the treacherous mountain range behind them.


	2. Standoff

The wooden door clicked shut behind Mason as he stepped out of the small farmhouse into the crisp winter air. He sighed as he gazed out over the fields. They were barren now from last year's harvest, but it was closing in on the time he would need to begin plowing the fields to prepare for this year's crops.

He wandered to the stables, grinning as one of the horses clopped over to greet him. He gave it a pat on the side of his head, finding himself speaking to it.

"How are we doing today, girl?"

The horse only whined, shaking her head. Mason chuckled. "Sometimes I wonder why I even try talking to you." He tilted his head as the horse began fussing more, stamping its feet.

"Hey! What's up?" Mason wasn't quite sure why he was asking the horse this. He turned around to see what was upsetting the horse, then jumped as he saw a group of creatures approaching him. One had a sword drawn and it was pointed at him. Upon seeing him the creature jumped back, shouting at him.

"Reste en arriere! Reste en arriere!"

At the creature's reaction, Mason immediately held a hand out in front of him. "Whoa! Whoa, easy!" The creature was unlike anything he had seen in his life. It was behaving just like any other monster he had met, but what separated this from the others was the fact that he could see the flesh where he would usually see fur.

"_Maybe it's from Zekar?"_ There were a few monsters there that would like somewhat similar. Three more of the creatures stood behind him, looking terrified of him. He dared to take a step closer, still holding his hand out in front of him. In response the creatures moved back, the one holding the sword shouting again.

"_Retour_!" From the farmhouse behind him he heard the door open, and his wife's voice cried out.

"Oh my word!" He immediately held out his other hand to his wife, and his son who was standing with her.

"Stay back, honey! Just stay back and keep calm!"

She kept still on the front doorstep, watching tensely with their sons as the creatures stared at Mason in the standoff. He was trying to think of a way to convince them he did not want to hurt them, but didn't know how to communicate with them, as he had understood none of what they had spoken so far. He suddenly heard a loud growl from one of their stomachs, and an idea formed in his head.

"Alaina, get some bread please."

Alaina looked confused. "Bread? How will that…"

Mason glanced over his shoulder. "I have a hunch." She sighed and disappeared back into the house, taking their son with her. She returned alone a few moments later carrying half a loaf.

"Bring it to me, but do it slowly, try not to make any sudden movements," Mason warned her.

He could tell the creatures were getting even more wary as Alaina drew closer, handing the bread to Mason. He then held it out to the creatures, motioning that it was okay for them to come and take it. The one holding the sword slowly moved towards him. Mason held himself as still as possible as he took the bread, eyeing it suspiciously as if Mason might have poisoned it. The creature spoke to his companions briefly before taking a piece off, biting it. He waited a few minutes, before nodding and sheathing his sword.

He gave him an apologetic look, nodding thanks to son had re-appeared in the doorway as Mason shook the creature's hand. He then began to speak to Mason.

"Desole pour mes actions, je n'ai jamais vu une creature comme toi."

Mason shook his head, unable to find words for what to say. Eventually he spoke slowly, wondering if they would know what he was saying.

"I'm sorry, I do not understand."

The creature looked equally as helpless. It became evident to Mason that communicating with their visitors would be a struggle. Suddenly an idea formed in his head. He quickly looked around, spotting a large stick. He picked it up and stooped down, using it to draw in the dirt. He drew out a rough map of the nation, although it was messy. He then put an x on the map as the creature stooped down with him. Mason pointed at the x, then to himself.

"I am here. You?" He made hand motions to try and emphasize his question. Thankfully the creature seemed to understand. He pointed on the makeshift map further west, then pointed to the mountains.

"Nous venons d'au-dela des montagnes."

Mason looked up. "Like…'in' the mountains? Or beyond them?" He once again used hand motions to get his question across. The creature made a waving motion with his hand as well, as if he were trying to swat something away.

"Longue route. Longue route."

Alaina leaned over, speaking quietly to Mason. "What is he saying?"

Mason shrugged. "I don't have the foggiest idea...I think though he's saying he's from beyond the mountain range."

Alaina was surprised. "I thought there was nothing beyond the mountains!"

Mason shrugged. "So did I. But they don't speak our language, and they're unlike any monster I've ever seen. So...maybe?"

He looked back to the creature, pointing first to him, then the ground, then a question mark he drew in the dirt.

"Why are you here?"

The creature understood immediately and said one word. "Explorateur."

Mason grinned. "I thought so." The creature reached a hand out, pointing at the stick. Mason handed it over to him, and the creature began to draw beside the map. He drew what appeared to be a crown, and drew out a map similar to Mason's, then pointed to a different spot. The creature pointed to himself, then down at a spot on the map. Mason tried to understand.

"You, here?"

The creature nodded, but still looked partially confused. Mason stood up. "Your king…" He motioned a crown being put on his head. "Sent you here?" As he was talking, he pointed to the group, then at the ground. The creature nodded enthusiastically. Mason had an idea.

"Do you want to see _our_ king?"

He made similar motions with the crown. The creature looked sort of confused again, but replied anyway with a nod. "Oui."

He pointed towards a trail. "That way, is a road. Follow it north, and you will reach capital."

Mason nodded. "Merci." He then began to set off in the direction he had pointed, his companions following him.

* * *

Thomas sighed as he walked through the trees, away from the farmer. Behind him, Oliver was chuckling, speaking to him in his own language.

"I can't believe you nearly killed a harmless farmer, mate."

Thomas grunted. "From what I remember, you were the furthest away from them out of all of us. So at least I was brave enough to put myself between you and them." Oliver held his tongue. Dennis spoke up.

"Did you have any idea what they were on about?"

Thomas shook his head. "I was only able to pick out a few words. From what I understood though, we've stumbled upon a kingdom!"

Alexander was still surprised from the earlier encounter. "How in God's name did we never notice an entire bloody kingdom out here?"

Thomas shrugged. "Well, to be fair, my friend, we never thought to look out here. They looked as surprised to see us as we them. So my guess is that they had no idea we were out there, either."

Dennis stepped over a branch in the small path. "So, where are we off to now?"

Thomas sighed. "It sounded like he was telling us to go this way. I for one want to see if we can find the ruler of these...whatever they are. I would like to learn as much about this place as we can before going home."

He stopped talking as they walked onto a wide dirt road cutting through the trees. Thomas pointed up the road. "That's a more general direction of where we want to go. Not as direct, but I imagine it'd be safer than going through these woods."

Dennis nodded. "Aye. Shall we set off then?" Thomas cracked his neck. "Aye, let's." The four journeyed all day. The only other sign of life they saw was one of the other animal creatures, seeming to be a human sized rabbit that gave them a funny stare as it rode by on a horse-drawn cart and disappeared down the road. The road continued to wind through the landscape, cresting hills and crossing large plains. They only stopped to rest when the sun had fully set, sleeping through the night just off of the road.

In the morning they continued their journey north. Before midday they heard a thundering of hooves on the road. They glanced over their shoulders as they heard a loud shout. They froze, eyes widening as they saw what approached them. It appeared to be a military patrol of dozens of creatures on horseback, glaring right at them as they thundered down the road.


	3. Escort

The fox monster tugged back on the reigns of his horse, bringing it to a stop just in front of the group of strange creatures. The peasant was right, they weren't like any monster Declan had ever seen. He noticed one of the creatures reaching for a sword, but a growl from one of the other knights riding up behind him convinced the creature to reconsider. The patrol quickly surrounded the four creatures, and Declan spoke.

"Who are you? State your business at once!"

The creatures looked amongst themselves with uncertainty in their eyes, before their leader spoke.

"Je ne comprends pas."

Declan arched an eyebrow. The language was unfamiliar to him, and he immediately doubted they could understand him either. One of the creatures reached for a small dagger in his belt. Declan drew his own sword and pointed it at the creature threateningly, but the creature took it out anyway, slowly, and stooped down in the dirt. Declan frowned as the human stood back up after a few minutes of scrawling in the dirt road. He jumped off his horse, walking over to take a closer look, stooping down over it.

The drawing showed what he guessed was the four of them, and a dotted trail to the outline of a crown. The creature then spoke again.

"Votre, souverain. Royal."

Declan nodded with understanding. One of the other knights called to him. "What's he saying, Captain?"

Declan stood up. "These men appear to be on their way to visit with King Ausgrid! From the looks of it, they've come a long way."

The knight asked again. "So? What'll we do with them?"

Declan thought for a moment. "We'll give them an escort to Ebott, make sure they don't run into any trouble." He then addressed the creatures, speaking slowly and making hand motions to indicate what he was saying. "You, come, with, us. Yes?"

The leader of the group seemed to understand, giving a single nod. Declan then barked. "Squire!"

One of the younger members of the patrol rode forward, less armored than the others. "Yes, Captain?"

Declan pointed up the road. "Ride north to Ebott. Tell King Ausgrid we are bringing visitors from afar who wish to see him!"

The squire nodded and saluted. "Yes sir! Right away!" The squire immediately rode off to alert the king of the arrival of the visitors. Declan jumped back onto his horse, and together the patrol set off with the creatures, heading north towards the capital city.

The squire rode quickly, trying to ensure the king would have as much warning as possible. It was still mid afternoon by the time he rode across the drawbridge into the city, slowing the horse to a brisk walk. He dismounted in the palace courtyard, giving the horses' face a pat before walking inside.

He quickly wandered the halls, finding the throne room in just ten minutes. He nodded to the guard standing outside.

"Is his majesty available? I must speak with him at once. It is of the utmost importance."

The guard nodded. "He is, son, go on in."

The squire grinned. "Thank you, sir." He pushed the door of the throne room open, walking into the throne room. It was elegantly decorated with gold lining the bottom of the walls. In the center, two thrones sat tall and proud, both occupied. One by King Ausgrid, and one by his wife, Eleanora. Beside Ausgrid stood Lochlan, the captain of the Royal Guard. He never left Ausgrid's side. The squire dropped to one knee, placing a fist over his heart.

"Your majesty! I bring important news from the southwest!"

Ausgrid blinked in surprise. "It certainly seems so, squire, you look exhausted!"

The squire just then noticed his racing heart and his heavy breaths. He had been so caught up in the task he hadn't noticed them. He looked up to meet the king's gaze.

"Four strangers were found on one of the main highways, your majesty. They do not speak our language, and are not from any kingdom that we know of! They wish to see you!"

Ausgrid nodded slowly. "I see. What can you tell me about them?"

The squire thought hard to remember what little he had seen of them. "They appeared to be travellers, sire, no doubt from a long way away."

Eleanora chimed in. "Are these travellers with you now?"

The squire shook his head. "No, your highness. They are being escorted by Captain Declan and his patrol as we speak. They will most likely not make it here until nightfall."

Ausgrid nodded again. "Very well. You may go, your work is complete."

The squire stood up quickly. "Thank you, your majesty." After a final bow, he turned and left. Ausgrid scratched his chin. Eleanora looked over.

"What do you think?"

Ausgrid replied. "This is a most...curious situation. I want to speak to these travellers when possible, though from the sound of it, they will be exhausted...Lochlan!"

Lochlan glanced over. "Yes, my liege?"

Ausgrid nodded, making up his mind. "See that the spare bed chambers are prepared for our guests, would you? And make sure there is a feast prepared when they arrive. We do not want to appear inhospitable to our visitors, do we?"

Lochlan shook his head. "Of course not, your majesty. I will see it done."

The canine stepped down from his post, leaving the throne room to begin the preparations. After he left, Eleanora spoke again.

"You know that is not what I meant."

Ausgrid nodded. "I know, I know. I am divided on this. A new type of monster never before seen? You don't suppose they came from the mountain range, do you?"

Eleanora shrugged. "I suppose stranger things have happened…"

Ausgrid nodded again thoughtfully. "I suppose...although, we previously have had no evidence to suggest there was any life beyond the range."

Eleanora sighed. "I suppose not. So, you will see them tomorrow then?"

Ausgrid closed his eyes. "Indeed. Tonight, they will rest. Tomorrow, we speak further."

* * *

Thomas lay in the spare bed, the large guest room easily holding all four of them. He gazed up at the ceiling, the sounds of the city having died away ages ago with the twilight. He wasn't sure how to react to all the gazes of the populace as they had been escorted into the city just as the sun touched the horizon.

The four of them had been shocked to find a whole feast prepared for them. He was grateful for it though, as they had used the last of their food the morning they set out from the mountains. Following this feast, they had been allowed to bathe themselves, over two weeks of stench washed away. They had then been led by the palace servants to their room where they would spend the night. Thomas had no doubt they would be seeing the king tomorrow. Oliver's voice piped up close by.

"You still awake over there, Thomas?"

Thomas didn't sit up. "Aye, Oliver."

Oliver sighed. "What do you suppose we're in for tomorrow?"

Thomas shrugged. "Heaven knows."

Oliver was quiet, then asked another question. "What do you reckon the king'll look like? All these other monsters have resembled animals of some sort or another."

Thomas sighed. "How in bloody hell should I know, Oliver? I'm not exactly an expert on these things. A lion or tiger, I suppose?"

Oliver was quiet again for a moment before speaking. "I can't help but feel like they're putting on an act, you know? Nobody's just this nice to someone they've never met before, or even seen."

Thomas glanced over now. "What, are you scared? We've been through a bloody mountain range, four survivors out of a twenty-man mission. And now that you're actually safe, _now_ is when you begin to get second thoughts?"

Oliver sighed. "It just seems too perfect, I guess."

Thomas chuckled. "Don't sweat it, it'll be fine. Just remember we've got a return trip yet. You ever get doubts, just think of all that wealth and fame waiting for you when you get home. We'll be legends."

Oliver was quiet again, but this time he didn't have anything to say in response. Thomas rolled over. "Just get some sleep, you bugger."

Oliver mumbled. "Yeah...yeah...sure." Despite this, he laid awake for nearly an hour, an uneasy feeling residing deep in his stomach.


	4. The Letters

Ausgrid straightened the red heart-shaped gem sitting just above the royal emblem on his chest. His yellow and white robes flowed along his arms and down his back to his ankles. Satisfied with his appearance, he stepped out of the dressing room where Eleanora and Lochlan both waited. The trio walked to the throne room. As they stepped inside, Lochlan spoke.

"The visitors should be ready for you by now, sire."

Ausgrid nodded as he took his seat on his throne, Eleanora sitting in hers beside him.

"Send them in."

He straightened his back as the four strange creatures entered the throne room. They knelt down on one knee in respect. Ausgrid waved his hand, signalling they could stand. One of them stepped forward, nodding at him.

"Bonjour Votre Majesté, merci pour votre hospitalité."

Ausgrid glanced to Eleanora who shrugged helplessly. He then turned to Lochlan.

"Fetch the translator Edwin, captain."

Lochlan nodded. "Right away, sire."

Ausgrid raised a finger at the creatures, hoping they understood he was telling them just to wait a moment as Lochlan walked past them, out of the throne room. Thankfully, Edwin lived close to the palace, so it was just over half an hour by the time Lochlan returned with him. Edwin bowed as he entered the throne room, glancing at their visitors before crossing to Ausgrid.

"How may I be of service, my liege?"

Ausgrid looked to the creatures. "I need for you to tell me what they are saying. I do not believe they speak our language."

He then nodded at the creatures for them to continue. The creature pointed to himself, then around at the others.

"Je m'appelle Thomas. Voici Dennis, Oliver et Alexander."

Edwin scratched his head. "It isn't a language I'm entirely familiar with, but there are aspects of other languages I've studied."

Ausgrid nodded again. "That is fine, just do your best."

Edwin stood beside Ausgrid, now looking at the creatures. "I believe he said his name is Thomas. His companions are named Dennis, Oliver, and Alexander."

Ausgrid smiled. "Ah! So we have names for them. Excellent. Ask them what kind of monster they are, and what kingdom they come from."

"Quel genre de monstre etes-vous? D'où vient le royaume?"

Thomas responded. "Nous sommes des humains, nous venons de Gouven."

"They say they're called 'humans', and they hail from Gouven."

Ausgrid frowned. "I've never heard of it."

The translator offered helpfully. "Où est ce...Gouven?"

"De l'autre cote de la chaîne de montagnes."

Edwin looked to Ausgrid, looking surprised. "They claim it is from over the mountain range."

Ausgrid met his gaze. "Are you certain?"

"Indeed."

"Well...what did they want coming over here?"

"Pourquoi es-tu venu ici?"

Thomas replied immediately. "Nous avons été engagés pour mener une expédition à travers la chaîne de montagnes afin de voir s'il y avait des terres à travers la chaîne de montagnes. Nous ne savions pas qu'il y avait des nations entières par ici."

"They say they were paid by their ruler to come and explore the area, see if there was any land they could live in. They had no idea we were here."

Ausgrid thought for a moment longer before replying. "Well, I suppose we should make ourselves known to our distant neighbors. Tell them we will send them back to their ruler with a letter for them. If they have a response for us, then we will send a carrier out in one month's time to pick up the response from one of their messengers in the center of the range."

Thomas nodded in understanding as Edwin relayed the message. He then raised a finger, a somewhat apologetic look on his face as he replied.

"Nous... n'avons rien à manger. Nous avons utilisé toutes nos rations pendant le voyage."

Edwin looked back to Ausgrid. "They don't have any food, sire, they used it all on their journey here."

Ausgrid glanced to Eleanora who answered for him. "Inform them that we will provide them with more than enough food for the trip back. We do not want them to starve, after all."

Thomas sighed. "Merci, merci."

Ausgrid grinned as he stood up from his throne. "Now Edwin, let's get about to writing that letter, hmm?"

* * *

_**AUTHORS NOTE**_

**The following letters have been translated into standard english for simplicity's sake.**

* * *

Greetings, King of Gouven

I hope this letter finds you well.

My name is King Ausgrid Dreemurr of Paral. Your explorers found their way safely to us, and informed us of the kingdom of Gouven, and other nations from beyond the mountain range.

I am most curious to meet with you and the other human leaders in person. After all, the best way to meet a neighbor is to see them face-to-face. I eagerly await your response.

Sincerely on behalf of the kingdoms of Paral, Tarus, and Zekar

Ausgrid Dreemurr

* * *

Salutations!

My name is King Douglas Fletcher of Gouven. I speak on behalf of the other nations of Daica, Vaerin, Ayilum, Truseon, and Kralum when I say it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, King Ausgrid Dreemurr. I must say, your method of a 'carrier' was different than what we expected. Our messenger expected a pigeon, not a monster with wings. Quite curious.

We would very much like to meet you in person as well, however there are some factors that must be considered. Where this meeting will take place being the biggest of them.

Sincerely on behalf of the kingdoms of Gouven, Daica, Vaerin, Ayilum, Truseon, and Kralum

Douglas Fletcher.

* * *

Greetings!

I am so pleased to hear of your willingness to meet. I do feel that the location of this proposed meeting is vital. We were considering the center of the mountain range as a neutral ground. This way, no favor is shown between either of our nations. There is also the question of who should be present as well.

Apart from ourselves, of course, we should each bring a translator. They will prove vital to ensuring as little miscommunication as possible. Perhaps also our scientists and smartest minds should also be present at this meeting. A military escort I believe would be acceptable as well, considering neither of us are terribly familiar with the terrain.

Let me know your thoughts on this.

Ausgrid Dreemurr.

* * *

Salutations once again

I have discussed this with the other leaders, and we agree to these terms. Shall we plan for five weeks following this being sent?

Sincerely

Douglas Fletcher

* * *

Ausgrid nodded as Edwin finished reading the latest letter. He nodded with a grin on his face.

"Five weeks? That will be about a month from now. Send my reply, 'Yes, this will work excellently. I look forward to meeting you then.'" As Edwin began to write, Ausgrid smiled to himself, anticipation flowing through him.


	5. The Hooded Figure

The barren mountain range was a vast expanse of grey across the continent, barely a sign of life present. The solemn silence of the bleak landscape was broken by the sound of hooves on the stone path. Thomas crested over the next ridge, with King Fletcher and his convoy right behind him. In the convoy were the five monarchs from the other human kingdoms. He slowed his horse as he reached the bottom of the large stone clearing, the meeting spot proposed by Douglas just a few weeks prior.

Douglas and Thomas looked around, both of them wondering where the other party was. The only sign of life was a bird flying high in the sky above them. Thomas looked up as there was a loud call from the bird, then it suddenly swooped lower. As it neared, Thomas realized that it wasn't a bird at all, but a dragon. Before he could draw his sword, he noticed something strange. It was wearing...armor?

His eyes didn't deceive him. As it grew closer to the ground, he noticed a suit of armor on the dragon, with a rider on its back. It pulled up just before hitting the ground at the opposite end of the clearing, flapping its wings as it came to rest. The rider jumped off of its back as the dragon stood up, dusting itself off with a grunt. Thomas stared in amazement at the rider and his companion. The rider was obviously of nobility, wearing royal robes and a crown, with a dark red cape fluttering in the breeze left behind by the dragon's wings.

Behind the figure horses appeared over the ridge. Thomas recognized two of them instantly, one being Ausgrid, and another being Edwin, the translator. As they rode down, two wyverns carrying soldiers landed next to the dragon. All the flying beasts wore the same armor, and another look allowed Thomas to make the conclusion that the flying monsters were certainly not feral.

A third convoy of animals rode up behind Ausgrid, though they were of the curious sort. They seemed to be made of the elements themselves. One of the monsters, seeming to be the leader, seemed to be made entirely of crystals. Most of the others within his party were made either of pure fire or water. There was the occasional monster that would be made up of...air? That's all he could think it to be. There was one or two made out of dirt.

The three monster monarchs with Edwin walked forward. Douglas dismounted with the other five kings, meeting them in the middle. Ausgrid and Douglas both gave respectful bows, before the human translator arrived. After speaking briefly with Edwin, the two moved away from the group. This was something both parties expected, as the translators would work at understanding languages fully before beginning the conversation.

Ausgrid couldn't help but grin cheekily when he saw Douglas eyeing the dragons warily. The gathered kings sat down, looking around at each other as they waited for the translators to finish their business.

* * *

As the sun rose through the air and night fell, Ausgrid noticed one of the humans carrying a large bundle of wood. Thomas had advised Douglas it would be wise to bring firewood as there was nearly no vegetation up here. The human soldier assembled the logs of wood into a little tent, and began to bang two rocks together to create a spark. Ausgrid held up a hand to stop him. The soldier glanced up curiously, and paused his work, backing up. The king then waved his hand, a small flame growing in his hand. He glanced up, seeing the human kings' mouths agape in shock. He flicked his fingers and the flame darted forward, lighting up the logs in a humble burn, bathing the clearing in a soft orange glow.

Before Ausgrid could demonstrate further though, the two translators returned, and thus the conversation began. Douglas spoke first.

"I must say, it's an honor to finally meet you, King Ausgrid."

Ausgrid nodded. "The honor is mine, King Douglas."

Douglas pointed at Ausgrid's hand. "The flame from your hand. How do you do that?"

Ausgrid glanced at his hand, letting a second flame kindle, twirling it around his hand and wrist. "It quite simply is what we call 'magic.' It's something that most can not simply 'learn.' It's a part of us. It defines who we are. It is in a way, the culmination of our very being. Magic abilities vary between different monsters, along with how much power they possess. Some have so little you can not tell they have any. Others can be so powerful as to conjure up weapons. Sometimes, magic can be used for healing, and in very rare cases some have the ability to manipulate the gravitational pull of entire objects." He closed his hand, extinguishing the flame. Douglas nodded, tilting his head to the side.

"I must say, we have our old fairy tales about monsters, though all of them are about frightening beasts that like to hide under your bed. Now that we've met monsters in person...my question is, what intentions do you have?"

Ausgrid blinked. "Well, what are yours?"

Douglas frowned. "I beg your pardon?"

Ausgrid smirked. "As I recall, King Douglas, it was explorers from your kingdoms that walked into our land, therefore trespassing. Now, I can let this slide as you did not know we were there, but I want to hear it from your mouth. What were you doing there?"

Douglas nodded with understanding. "We wanted to learn more of the world around us. When we discovered another continent, we decided to see what was on the other side of the mountains. As it turns out, it was you. We are still eager to learn more, hence this meeting tonight."

"And it is the same with us. We too are curious to learn more now that we know there are other living beings out there besides us. Such is our nature, I suppose. I assure you, we do not mean you any harm. We consider ourselves to be a peaceful race."

Douglas kept his expression neutral. "We feel the same. Perhaps a way to discover more about each other would be through trade, wouldn't you say?"

A smile twinged at Ausgrid's lips. "Indeed it would. However, such a route would be very difficult to find. These mountains, as I understand, have not been entirely kind to travellers."

Douglas clasped his hands, resting them against his chin. "Quite...might I propose a solution? Perhaps we make these trade runs in pairs. One monster, one human. This way, we can continuously see more of each others societies, goods, technologies, even begin to understand each other's languages better."

Ausgrid furrowed his brow as he deeply considered this. He glanced to the other two kings of Tarus and Zekar beside him, who both gave shrugs or nods of approval. Ausgrid finally nodded.

"This sounds like a fine plan."

Douglas grinned. "Then it is settled. Perhaps they might meet in this very spot, and then come back to our human kingdoms? Then we can flow in a simple pattern."

Ausgrid nodded. "And so it shall be. Shall we make camp and spend the night here? I personally do not think any of us want to ride home in this unfamiliar territory in the dark."

Douglas's face turned serious. "I concur. I look forward to speaking again, King Ausgrid."

With one final bow of respect, the leaders split up, making their own little camps for the night. Ausgrud sighed as he gazed up at the stars, slowly drifting off to sleep.

* * *

The sound of heavy breathing filled Ausgrid's ears. He sat bolt upright, finding himself shrouded in blackness, a soup so thick his hand was not visible in front of his face. His gaze jerked left as he heard a scream of pain, followed by someone pleading for something. He could not make out what. He blinked once, then found himself standing in the stone clearing.

The fires had all been extinguished. He looked down, and saw himself still sleeping soundly. Movement caught his gaze. He jerked his head left, seeing a hooded figure moving about the camp. He looked down, seeing no feet beneath the heavy cloak. Confusion filled Ausgrid's mind as he looked back down at his sleeping body. Was he...dreaming? It didn't feel like a dream. Yet he knew he wasn't dead. So what was this...feeling? He barked at the figure, summoning a blade in his right hand.

"Hey!" The figure froze, looking up. Ausgrid pointed the blade at the figure, walking towards its back. "Do not move, I will not hesitate to kill you."

The figure began to whisper eerily. "Past, present, future. The past ever changing, the future ever set."

Ausgrid raised an eyebrow as he drew nearer. "What are you talking about…?"

The figure whispered louder. "The past ever changing, the future ever set."

Ausgrid growled. "Who are you?"

The figure raised his head. "A guardian."

"What are you 'guarding'?"

"The future."

"The future…?"

"Yes. There are some who wish to… 'fix' the past. These are the same people who will inevitably destroy the future. The past can be changed. But time will always find a way. I am here to make sure of it, Ausgrid Dreemurr."

Ausgrid bared his teeth. "How do you know who I am? What do you want?!"

The figure chuckled, turning to face him. Immediately Ausgrid dropped the blade, and it dissolved. He stumbled back. There was no face beneath the hood, just a blackness darker than the night itself.

"The past is ever changing, the future is ever set. The past begins here, as does the future. Here, in this very hour, the butterfly will flap its innocent wings." The figure lashed out, shoving Ausgrid back. He stumbled, landing on his sleeping body. Immediately he sat up again, shaking his head.

He grunted as he shook his head. The hooded figure has disappeared, and it took him a moment to realize he was now awake. He shivered as he felt himself grow cold, yet there was no breeze. He looked up at the stars, as they continued to twinkle away in the dark of the night.


	6. The Ruins

Three months came and went. Throughout these months human and monster messengers made several expeditions together through the mountain ranges as originally planned. Just as Ausgrid had hoped, it didn't take long for the two to begin understanding each other's languages until they were just about fluent in them.

The trade the two constantly brought back and forth was also something Ausgrid took great interest in. The humans had some technologies he had never seen or even heard of before. In exchange, Ausgrid had agreed to demonstrate more of the monsters' magical abilities to humans. There had been a question as to if humans could learn these abilities as well, but Ausgrid had managed to delay his answer, needing time to think it over.

For now, the trades would work just fine. Xavier, a nimble raven monster, was out on one of such trades, wandering back with Jenson, one of the human traders that frequently made the journey. The two had set out from the capital of Paral earlier that day, and were just reaching the mountain range. Thunder rolled overhead, causing both of their heads to look up towards the sky. By now, both of them were well aware how dangerous the mountains could become in the rain, with the rocks becoming nearly as slippery as ice.

"Hey! Follow me, I know a bit of a shortcut that can get us out of the rain." As they entered the mountain range, Xavier led Jenson off the main path, into a nearby forest covering the base of one of the mountains. Here they had some shelter from the rain, but this wasn't the shortcut Xavier was referring to. He continued to climb up the grassy slope until he reached a hole in the mountain. He slid through it, entering a large cavern. Jenson maneuvered his way through the small opening behind him, dusting himself off.

Xavier focused for a moment as he held out his hand. A glowing ball of light soon whirled its way into existence, illuminating the cavern walls around them as he began to walk deeper into the caves, the orb lighting the way. Jenson looked around in amazement, speaking in quiet awe to Xavier.

"You monsters are full of surprises, eh?"

Xavier chuckled. As they wandered further in, it became evident that the cave tunnels were not just ruins. Soon, writing began to move along the walls. Cracks in the stone showed much more landscape beyond the hallway they travelled in. Jenson continued to gaze around.

"What is this place?"

Xavier replied. "Ancient ruins. Not a whole lot of monsters know about them, only those that travel often like myself. Nobody knows what they're for, nobody knows how long they've been here. They just...are here I guess."

"What does the writing say?"

"Not a clue. Again, nobody really knows, and nobody's really cared enough to look into it."

Soon Jenson began to notice a distinct pattern to the carvings on the wall. There would be a mass jumble of symbols, followed by a repeated image, that of a circle surrounding some form of beast. He noticed the beast was drawn in slightly different forms in each instance, no two were exactly alike.

"Do you think maybe this place was a monument, or temple to some deity or lost race?"

Xavier shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. We might not ever know."

Jenson paused by one particularly long group of symbols. The corresponding image seemed to represent a human, but not just any human. A child of some sort. A shiver ran down his spine as he hurried to catch up. Just as he did, a low rumbling formed in the ground. At first both assumed it was merely the storm outside but soon enough it became apparent that this was not the case. Both of them looked around, growing more alarmed as dust rained from the ceiling.

A sudden crack formed in the floor. Xavier managed to spread his wings and leap up, just as the floor broke. Jenson screamed in terror as he began to plunge downward. Xavier shook himself from his momentary shock, diving down after him. He struggled to maintain speed as he dodged falling debris. He reached a hand out, gritting his teeth as the ground rushed up to meet them. He snagged Jensons's arms and pulled back, but it was too late. Jenson struck the ground first and hard, while Xavier managed to roll in his landing, avoiding any serious injury.

He grabbed Jenson, who was practically wailing in pain, dragging him to the side. He sheltered him as rocks rained down where both had been sitting just moments before. At last, the rumbling stopped. Jenson gasped in pain as he clutched at his left leg. Xavier leaned over to look at it.

It was bent backwards at a disturbing angle, blood leaking from a deep gash. He took one of his travel robes, ripping a piece off to wrap it around the wound. Jenson took deep breaths to try and calm himself down, looking up at him.

"Y...Y-You...s-saved my life…"

Xavier grunted. "I didn't do enough though, look at you."

Jeson continued huffing. "But...if you did...nothing...I would have died in the fall…"

Xavier sighed. "I suppose we have to look out for each other, huh?"

Jenson gave a pained chuckle, then coughed to cut it off. Xavier then noticed a red stain forming on Jenson's shirt. He lifted it up to see that a stray rock had ricocheted off the floor, embedding itself in Jenson's abdomen, but he didn't dare to remove it. That would just cause the wound to reopen, and the blood flow would be unstoppable. He shook his head, patting Jenson's shoulder.

"I'm going to fly back up and get help. Stay here and try not to move, alright?"

Jenson nodded numbly. Xavier took off, flapping his wings as he quickly rose to the top level. He eventually reached where the floor broke, walking gingerly along the safer part of the floor towards the exit, once more holding an orb of light ahead of him, but it only illuminated a distressing sight.

"No…" His pleas started quietly, growing as he picked up speed, reaching where the cave's mouth should have been. "No, no, no _no NO!_" The tremor had caused the mouth of the cave to collapse, effectively sealing them underground. Immediately he felt more trapped than ever before in his life. With numb footsteps he walked back to the gap, gliding back to the bottom. Jenson looked up at him as he reached where he lay.

"We're...help isn't coming...is it…"

Jenson shook his head. "We're trapped. We'll...just have to hope that somebody finds us. Good news is, we've got plenty of food here, so we won't need to worry about going hungry for a few weeks."

Jenson looked back down to his brutal injuries. "You...really think I'll...last...last that long?"

Xavier's expression was grave. "I'll make sure of it. You won't be dying here, my friend." He lit another orb, using it to look around. They appeared to still be in the ruins, massive pillars now rising up around them, which would explain why the rest of the mountain hadn't fallen on top of them. A door sat near them, though Xavier had suddenly lost his appetite for exploration.

The hours stretched into days. Xavier noticed Jenson get increasingly worse as time went on. By day four, he had started to cough and puke up blood. By day five, he refused to eat. Day seven rolled around, and Xavier knew that help would need to come soon. Another look at the wounds revealed an ugly sight.

The broken leg was nowhere close to healing. The area around the injury had begun turning pale. The wound in his abdomen where the rock still lay had turned black with a quickly-spreading infection. Jenson had come down with a fever the day after he refused to eat. Xavier pleaded with him.

"Come on Jenson, you've got to eat something."

Jenson shook his head, eyes half closed. "It's...t...too late...I won't...be...making it out…"

Xavier patted his cheek, trying to keep him awake. "Hey, don't talk like that. You _will_ get out of here. Alright?"

Jenson wheezed as he struggled for air every breath, slowly shaking his head. "Don't...wait for me...just...please...m...make...sure I'm...not…" He didn't get to finish his sentence as he slumped over to one side, his eyes glazing over. The labored rise and fall of his chest came to stop, leaving Xavier in eerie silence. He slowly reached out, closing Jenson's eyes as he rested his forehead against the wall. If there was any encouragement, it was that he would no longer have to split the food.

He leaned back beside the body, bringing his knees to his chest as he rested his forehead on them. Perhaps nobody was coming. Perhaps he would die here alone, and forgotten. A bright blue glow caught his vision. He looked up, frowning. He didn't remember summoning an orb. He turned left and jumped.

A heart-shaped object was now floating in front of Jenson's chest. He frowned as it emanated a blue glow. It seemed to pull at Xavier, call to him. Mesmerized he slowly reached out a hand, grabbing the heart.

* * *

Ausgrid slowly blinked his eyes open as a distant whispering caught his mind. He slowly sat up, looking down to Eleanora beside him. Looking to his right, he saw the same hooded figure from the mountain, now standing in front of the window, looking out over the city of Ebott. Ausgrid growled as he stood up out of bed, once again summoning his blade.

"You again…"

The figure began to chuckle mirthlessly. Ausgrid felt himself growing cold.

"What do you find so funny?"

The figure sighed. "The butterfly makes the first ripples in the water. There is nothing anyone can do now to stop the tidal wave."

"What are you talking about…?"

"Everything is already in motion, Ausgrid Dreemurr, and you are playing your part perfectly."

The hooded figure turned around. Ausgrid shuddered again when he saw no face beneath it. He found himself taking a step back as the figure walked towards him. Ausgrid growled.

"I will not take part in whatever 'game' you're trying to play here."

The figure sighed. "So many have said time and time again. You are like the others. Pity that this is not a game where you choose whether you play or not. You entered the game the day you entered the world. You will continue to play the game long after you leave. The first pawn has been moved. Your turn, Ausgrid." The figure walked up to his face, and pulled back its hood. Ausgrid's mouth dropped open when he stared at...himself? The lookalike shouted in his face.

"_NOW WAKE UP!_" Ausgrid gasped, sitting up once more in bed, now awake for real. Eleanora mumbled at the sudden shift.

"Mmm, Ausgrid…?" She yawned groggily. "What's wrong, sweetie?"

Ausgrid panted as a whisper filled his ear. He couldn't hear it, but he knew what it was saying.

"Something's happening. Something bad. I need to go." Eleanora now sat up as Ausgrid jumped out, already throwing on his suit of armor and royal robes.

"Where are you-?"

Ausgrid began to walk towards the door. "The mountains. Stay here!" She watched, mystified as Ausgrid quickly left the bedroom.


	7. The Beast

Ausgrid steered the horse left off of the trail, continuing to ride further alongside the edge of the mountain range. Lochlan soon pulled up beside him, accompanied by a small patrol of royal guardsmen.

"Sire, where are we going?"

Ausgrid pointed to one of the taller peaks at the edge, the one with the ancient ruins buried beneath it. "There! Mount Ebott!"

Lochlan was perplexed. "Why?! Nobody ever goes up there! What makes you think there's something going on?!"

Ausgrid didn't answer. He couldn't explain it, he just...knew. Something was telling his gut that something terrible had happened. He began to quickly ascend the slopes through the thick forest surrounding the mountain. It wasn't long before he had to dismount as the slope had become too steep. Lochlan tied both their horses to one of the trees before starting to follow him up the mountain.

Soon he found what he was looking for. A small opening sealed off by fallen boulders It looked recent. Whatever happened was just inside there. He motioned to Lochlan.

"Stand back, Captain."

Lochlan took a step back as Ausgrid let a fireball ignite in his hands, rapidly growing in size. He then launched it forward, shielding his eyes as the rocks blew inward, clearing the path. Ausgrid lit another flame in his hand, this one to see as he stepped through the gap, Lochlan following him in with his sword now drawn.

Ausgrid stared around at the walls as he proceeded cautiously further inside. A snarl echoed throughout the tunnels in the distance. He was too focused on the walls to concentrate on where he was going.

"Sire!" Lochlan grabbed his arm, yanking him back. Ausgrid looked down, seeing that he was about to step off the edge of a large crevice in the floor. His heart began racing as he realized what would have happened.

"Thank you, Captain…"

Lochlan chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. "Well, it is my job, after all."

Ausgrid stared down as another growl sounded. The sound was not natural, though. He flicked the flame down, watching as it descended. Movement flashed near the bottom of the crevice. As the flame extinguished, he saw two gleaming red eyes suddenly glare up at him. He shivered as Lochlan also spotted the eyes.

"Your majesty…?"

Ausgrid nodded. "This is it…"

"Your majesty...what is that...thing?"

"I don't know. But...it's why we're here. You brought rope, right?"

Lochlan nodded slowly. "I do…"

Ausgrid pointed down at the creature below. "We'll use it to get down there."

Lochlan stared up at Ausgrid, his mouth agape. "With all due respect your majesty, but have you gone absolutely mad?! That thing will kill us if we go down there! Those are the eyes of the devil himself!"

Ausgrid shook his head. "No...I don't think it will. If it wanted us dead, it would have tried something by now. We're going down there, Captain."

Seeing this was happening regardless of what he thought, Lochlan sighed as he set up the strand of rope, preparing a way safely down. He carefully led the to the bottom with Ausgrid right behind him. They saw the creature retreat into the shadows as they reached the lowest level. Ausgrid once more ignited a flame to illuminate the area, and approached the creature.

"You do not need to be afraid...we do not want to hurt you."

The creature, surprisingly, spoke, and the voice was scarily familiar. "W-W...W-What's happened t-to me?!"

Ausgrid's eyes widened. "Xavier?"

The creature stepped out from the shadows, and Ausgrid was left in shock. Lochlan slowly sheathed his sword as he stared at Xavier. The raven had nearly double in his size, the wings now looking more jagged, with sharp deadly claws at the edges of his hands. His beak, once somewhat dull, was now razor sharp. He looked like a demon.

Then, Lochlan spotted something. He tapped Ausgrid's shoulder, pointing to the edge. Ausgrid looked to the left, spotting what Lochlan did. A body slumped over in the corner, blood stained on the rocks and dirt around it. A rock was embedded in the body's gut. Ausgrid recognized it as a human trader. He looked back to Xavier who had followed their gaze.

"Xavier...just keep calm, and tell me...what happened here?"

Xavier gasped as he tried to control his rapidly changing emotions. "T...T-There was...s-something...the whole e-earth shook...w-we fell down here. H-He was injured...I...I TRIED to save him y-your highness! B-But...t-there was nothing I could do! _There was nothing I could do, you have to believe me!_"

Ausgrid reached out a hand to calm him down. "Do not worry, I believe you...you're not in trouble with me...how did you...become...well, like...you?"

Xavier gulped. "Right after he...he...a-a weird...thing appeared, as if it came _out_ of him. S-Shaped like a heart. I...I just grabbed it! I don't know what came over me! R-Right after that, I...I began feeling weird...a-and then...it turned me...into...this...this beast!"

Ausgrid exchanged a confused glance with Lochlan. "Right...I see. Ok then, Xavier, whatever you do, you can not panic. We will figure this out. I'm going to bring you back to the capital, and we'll figure out a course of action. It's all going to be alright."

Xavier nodded, whimpering softly. Ausgrid and Lochlan once again began to ascend the rope, clambering their way to the top of the crevice. Xavier spread his wings, flying up to the top to meet them there. The other guardsmen jumped back when they saw him, but a warning glance from Lochlan convinced them not to react further. With this, they left the ruins and Jenson's body behind, beginning to head back for the capital.

* * *

The marble slab slid out and to the side as Lochlan pushed open the exit of the catacombs, leading into the castle. Ausgrid dusted his robes off as he climbed out of the dirty caverns. While they weren't usually used, he was beginning to realize the benefits of their construction, though he had never imagined he'd be sneaking something in rather than sneaking himself out. The guards helped Xavier to squeeze through the gap, standing straight up at the back of the throne room.

Ausgrid immediately began ushering Xavier out of the area into the private section of the castle beyond, but Eleanora was waiting.

"There you are! I've been worried sick, what's goOOOH!" She cut herself off with a startled gasp as she saw Xavier walk around the corner. Ausgrid flinched, making a shushing motion to her.

"Keep quiet, please, we don't want the whole kingdom to be thrown into a panic. Don't worry, he has no desire to hurt us."

She shivered as she stared at Xavier, unnerved by his newfound menacing appearance. "What's happened to him?"

Ausgrid sighed. "That's what I want to know."

"Well, where do we keep him? Surely you're not going to put him in the dungeon?"

Ausgrid was offended. "What? Of course not! That would be barbaric!"

"Well, where then? You certainly can't keep him in the guest rooms, what if one of the human nobles comes to visit? They would be horrified beyond belief!"

Ausgrid nodded. "I know, I know. One of the guardsmen has left to fetch my construction advisor. I'm planning on setting up a personal residence for him in the eastern farmlands. There, we can try to figure out what happened, and more importantly, how to reverse it. He only needs to stay hidden here for a few weeks."

Eleanora nodded, ever uncertain. "Of course...of course...captain, take him to one of the guest rooms and see he is cared for?"

Lochlan nodded with a salute. "Of course your majesty." He began to lead Xavier away.

Eleanora was still troubled. "You said you knew something bad was happening this morning...do you...think this was it?"

Ausgrid nodded numbly. "I know it was."

She frowned. "How did...you know?"

Ausgrid huffed. "I was...I was told."

Now Eleanora was even more confused. "By whom?"

Ausgrid thought back to the dream of the hooded figure, still shivering at the memory of the hood being pulled back, revealing his own face. "I...I'm not sure."

Eleanora turned Ausgrid around to look her in the eyes. "Are you sure you are alright?"

Ausgrid brushed her off. "Yes, dear. I'm perfectly healthy. I must just be tired, there's been much excitement lately."

Eleanora sighed. "Well, go get some more sleep then. We will talk more later." With this, she turned around to go deal with other matters. Ausgrid considered doing as she suggested and trying to return to sleep, but he knew that sleep was now impossible. Even if it wasn't, he wasn't sure he wanted to see the hooded figure again so soon. So instead he wandered back outside, towards the palace garden. Perhaps a walk was just what he needed.


	8. A Broken Soul

Ausgrid pulled back on the reigns of his horse, stopping just short of Hamia, one of the smartest doctors in the kingdom. Over a month had passed since Xavier had returned to the palace. A large house had been constructed in the farmlands west of Ebott, somewhere Ausgrid hoped nobody would find him until they fixed whatever was wrong with him.

He jumped off the horse, nodding to the doctor. "Any progress, Hamia?"

Hamia shook his head. "Nothing, your majesty. We're no closer to finding out how to cure Xavier, though we do believe we finally know what _caused_ this."

Ausgrid widened his eyes. It wasn't much, but it would still be something. "Do tell!"

Hamia sighed. "We believe Xavier absorbed Jenson's soul."

Ausgrid frowned. "I'm afraid I don't understand."

Hamia tried to explain. "Well, you are aware that we all have a soul inside ourselves, yes? The souls of capri-bovarians are stronger than most others, which is why you, your majesty, are invulnerable to age, along with Lady Eleanora. Well, we usually don't see these souls, since they, uh, 'break' after we turn to dust. They cannot persist after death. I believe this is not the case with a human soul! They are likely much stronger than ours, which allows them to become visible to the naked eye after death. Xavier, not knowing what it was, accidentally grabbed it, absorbing the soul power into himself, turning him into that beast."

Ausgrid huffed. "Huh. So, what you're saying, is he has the power of the human's soul, as well as his own. So he is much more powerful than anything we have ever seen before. Also meaning that he…"

Hamia glanced over his shoulder. "He could wreak havoc on the kingdom," he finished. "I'll say one thing, your majesty, it was a very wise idea to keep him here. We can't keep him here for long, though. He's getting more agitated by the day."

Ausgrid took a deep breath. "Alright, keep him contained as long as you can. I'll get in touch with some of his family and see if they can calm him down."

Hamia bowed. "Of course, your majesty. Was there anything else you wished to speak about?"

The king shook his head."I think that is everything. I will let you return to your work."

As Ausgrid mounted his horse again, Hamia turned around to walk back into the trees. Soon, they opened up to the open farmlands, where the large cabin sat atop a small hill. Hamia let himself in through a smaller door, with the larger one constructed for Xavier himself. There he saw the raven pacing anxiously in the kitchen.

As soon as he spotted Hamia, he turned to him. "Well? Do you know what's wrong with me?"

Hamia nodded. "I believe so. It would appear that you have absorbed a human soul. The boosted energy, or life force from the soul is what has made you grow to what you are right now." He continued to repeat what he had told Ausgrid earlier. Xavier began to grow increasingly distressed.

"Is there a way to fix me?!"

Hamia was hesitant to answer, but after a brief pause he cleared his throat. "At the moment, I am not sure what the cure is, or if there even is one."

Xavier's eyes widened. "What do you mean?! The soul made me this way, there must be a way to just...take the soul out!"

Hamia fidgeted with exasperation. "It's not that easy! For one thing, we do not have the technology or magic to extract a soul directly, already making it impossible. For another, we have no idea what this would do to you! By ripping it out of you, it could very well kill you in the process! This is something that nobody has ever seen before, Xavier. As much as I want to find a solution, I don't believe there is one."

Xavier scoffed. "So...y...you're telling me that...I might be stuck like this...for the rest of my life?!"

When Hamia nodded Xavier began to hyperventilate. Hamia raised his hands, trying to calm him down. "Xavier, I need for you to calm down-"

"_Calm down?!_" Xavier shouted. "Look at me! I'm a nightmare! I might be stuck like this for the rest of my life, and you tell me to calm down?!"

Hamia realized that Xavier had a point, but he still tried to calm him down. "I understand why you would be distressed, but please, you need to try and settle down so I can run some more tests."

Xavier's shout raised to a scream. "No! Stay away from me!" He lashed out, swiping at Hamia. The doctor yelped as he was knocked over onto his back. One of the guards from outside rushed in, sword drawn. He pointed the blade at Xavier with a snarl. Hamia tried to shout a warning, but it was too late. Xavier swung again, the guard flying into one of the walls. He crumpled to the ground as others began to charge through the door.

Seeing he couldn't win, Xavier spread his wings. He burst up, smashing through the thin roof of the cabin to take flight. Hamia groaned as he was helped to his feet by two of the guards. He limped to the gap in the roof, seeing Xavier flying away. He huffed.

"Warn his majesty about this. We need to get him secured." The guards immediately left, while Hamia moved to tend to the injured.

* * *

The rain pattered down outside of the cavern, Xavier watched the drops fall outside, shivering as he folded his wings around himself. A voice calling caught his attention.

"Xavier?! Are you around here?!"

He breathed out quietly. "K-Kate?"

Another raven monster suddenly poked her head around the mouth of the cave, sighing in relief when she saw him. "There you are."

Xavier looked up in shock. "W...What are you doing out here?"

Kate walked into the shelter of the small cave, pulling back her hood. "You're my brother, Xavier. When I heard you were...in distress, I came looking for you. I thought you might be around here, you always hid here when we were younger."

Xavier chuckled, looking down at the stone floor. "Guess I did...why are you here?"

Kate shrugged. "I could ask the same thing about you. You know, we didn't really know what happened to you."

Xavier's small smile disappeared. "I know...It would probably better if you thought I was dead…"

Kate sat down beside him. "Oh come on, bro...you should know that we would be devastated if you really were dead…"

Xavier shook his head. "But look at me. I'm not...Xavier anymore I'm...something else. How could you possibly want me around when I look like this?"

Kate sighed. "I will admit, it will take some getting used to...but just because your physical form has changed doesn't mean we'll want you around any less. You're still the same Xavier we know and love. Can you trust me on that?"

Xavier nodded numbly. "I guess I can…"

Kate nodded, patting his shoulder. "Good. Now please...come home?"

He thought back to the earlier escape. "I don't know if I can. I...I hurt people."

She nodded again. "The doctor and the guard, I heard about it. Don't worry, they'll both be alright."

He closed his eyes. "I...yes...yes I can."

She leaned back. "Good, but let's wait here until the rain stops. I already had to do a lot of walking in the wet; I don't fancy going out again."

Xavier laughed. "I understand. Hey...how did you find out about the whole incident with the doctor?"

She sighed. "King Ausgrid paid us a personal visit to explain what happened. I volunteered to come and get you. He doesn't blame you for what happened, you know, he said so himself he just wants to see you safe and sound."

He let out a sigh, a weight being lifted from his shoulders. "Good to know. I just wish things could return to the way they were before these 'humans' came along. You know, if it weren't for them, I wouldn't be like this."

Kate wasn't too sure, but shrugged. "I suppose so...but considering they're there, it was kind of inevitable they'd find us. Or we'd find them. Guess we just gotta live with them now."

Xavier looked towards the cave mouths exit. "I suppose so…" Gradually the rain began to patter out, before stopping altogether. Xavier grunted as he stood up, walking out of the cavern with Kate beside him, before they began to make the journey back to Ebott."

* * *

Atop the mountain ridge, the human messenger froze as movement flashed at the edge of his vision. He glanced down,his jaw dropping in shock as he spotted the beast exiting the cavern.

"_No...that's...that can't be him...that's impossible! ...Right?"_ Without another thought, he took off running, even more anxious to make it back to his kingdom.


	9. Ultimatum

Another two weeks crawled by, with no word from the human kingdoms. Ausgrid had been concerned when the letters abruptly stopped. He couldn't think what would make the leaders suddenly break contact with him. Xavier had been taken back to Ebott where he was being contained in his own home. By now much of the population knew about him, and Ausgrid was trying to work on easing concerns within his own kingdom about him.

He was yanked abruptly from his thoughts as one of the palace guards suddenly ran into the throne room, getting down on one knee before Ausgrid.

"Sire! His majesty King Douglas Fletcher of Gouven requests an audience with you!"

Ausgrid frowned. This was...unexpected. Never before had one of the kings outright visited him at his palace. He waved his hand slightly. "Send him in."

The soldier stood up and ran out of the throne room. Ausgrid exchanged a befuddled glance with Eleanora before looking forward to the doors. They swung wide a moment later, and Douglas walked into the throne room. Ausgrid took a moment to study him. His brow was furrowed, and his eyes were cold. A large frown was on his face, and he could tell from his tense cheekbones that he wasn't just angry.

Ausgrid spoke first. "King Douglas. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Xavier pointed a finger accusingly at Ausgrid. "We have been lied to!"

Lochlan emitted a low growl, but Ausgrid motioned for him to not react.

Ausgrid placed his finger tips against each other. "I'm afraid I am unsure what you are talking about."

Douglas glared at him. "What happened in the tremor, between Jenson and Xavier. We were told Jenson died in the earthquake, and Xavier needed rest because he had been mortally wounded. But all that isn't true, is it?!"

Now Ausgrid was beginning to match Douglas's frown. Still, he tried to feign innocence. "I'm not sure what you are implying here…"

Douglas rolled his eyes. "You know just what I'm talking about. A human messenger en route to you spotted Xavier by the mountains. Said it was one of the most terrifying beasts he had seen in his life. He was twice his normal size, practically a demon."

Ausgrid sighed. _The one thing I wanted to avoid…_ "Please, allow me to explain before you jump to conclusions." He paused. When Douglas said nothing, he continued. "On the mountain, there was indeed a tremor, that much is true. Jenson did die from injuries sustained in this earthquake, despite Xavier's attempts to save him. AfterJenson died, Xavier...absorbed Jenson's soul. Now before you speak, I had no idea this was possible until then. He didn't know it either."

Douglas scoffed. "How are we supposed to believe his story? Neither of us were down there with him. How do we know he didn't just kill Jenson himself?"

Ausgrid's brows furrowed with frustration. "Because, Douglas, I know Xavier personally. He would never do something like that, it is not in his nature."

Douglas held his gaze. "People can change, Ausgrid, I've seen it myself. And so, I am here to demand that Xavier be turned over into human custody for a trial."

Ausgrid began to growl. "Under what charge?"

"Murder."

"He didn't...murder...anyone."

"He absorbed the soul of a living being, surely that should count for something…"

Ausgrid stood up from his throne. "You would dare to come into my throne room, accuse me of lying to you, then wrongfully accuse one of my subjects with murder, and demand that he be given over to you?! I will have you know that I have no intentions of handing Xavier over to you. You are wasting your time. An accident should not be punishable."

Douglas stared deep into Ausgrid's gaze, both of them trying to weaken each other's willpower through glares alone. Finally, it was Douglas who backed down.

"Fine. But, I request a meeting between all the human and monster kings, the issue of soul absorbtion does need to be addressed in case of future incidents."

Ausgrid huffed. As much as he was irritated, he knew that this time, it would be a necessity to maintain peace. "Very well. I will leave you to get in touch with the human leaders, while I take care of the monsters'. You may stay in one of the guest rooms here in the palace if you like."

Douglas straightened his royal robes. "Thank you, your highness." He turned around and left the room.

Ausgrid shook his head as he sat back down in his throne.

Lochlan growled. "The nerve of him!"

Ausgrid shook his head. "As unpleasant as that was, captain, he does have a point. We can't have monsters going around absorbing human souls whenever they feel like it, now that we know it's possible. We will have to figure out what to do in our later meeting."

Lochlan nodded slightly, and Ausgrid sank back in his throne, deep in thought.

* * *

The door closed behind the King of Zekar, the final participant in the meeting, arranged just two days ago now, at last arriving. The meeting hall was established in the middle of the mountain range, in the same spot they had originally met years ago. Everybody had been briefed on the meeting, so pleasantries and explanations could be skipped.

Ausgrid spoke first. "I appreciate all of you for taking your valuable time to be here. I feel like with this matter it is best to get straight to the point. Soul absorption is...tricky. From what I know of it, it can only be done between monsters and humans. A human cannot absorb a human soul, and a monster cannot absorb a monster soul. However, a monster can absorb a human soul as we've seen, and we suspect vice versa. In the case of Xavier, I request that no action be taken. Xavier is a good, kind, honest monster. He had no idea soul absorption was possible. It was an accident. What this meeting is to discuss is how to punish those that absorb souls going forward.

"I think that we should all tell our kingdoms publicly soul absorption is possible. This way, if a soul is absorbed, we will know it was deliberate."

There was a round of heads nodding around the room.

Ausgrid continued, "We also know that a being with an absorbed soul will gain tremendous power. Enough to rival the strength of an army. With this in mind, I think we can all agree that absorbing a soul should be punishable in a severe manner. The question then is...how?"

Douglas spoke up. "Death." All eyes turned to him as he spoke again. "It should be punishable by death."

Ausgrid was troubled. "That...seems a touch extreme, does it not?"

Douglas grunted. "You said so yourself they have the power to rival an army. How do you expect to keep someone like that contained? In order to ensure safety for all of us, we should kill those in violation of this law. On the spot, if necessary."

Ausgrid was against so severe a punishment as a death penalty, but he couldn't help but agree with Douglas's logic. What other way was there to contain such a being? Around the room there were equally troubled faces, but they were also nodding.

Ausgrid's voice was surprisingly quieter when he spoke again. "Is everyone in agreement?"

Nobody said anything.

Ausgrid nodded. "Very well. It is official. By law, as of this very moment, any human, or monster, that absorbs a soul, will be given the death penalty, on the spot if they refuse to be taken into custody."

Douglas spoke again. "King Ausgrid, there was also something that the human nations wanted to do, it makes sense to bring this up with you now."

Ausgrid tipped his head. "Oh? What might that be?"

Douglas blinked once. "Reset the calendar. In order to mark the significance of this new revelation, start the calendar over from the year 0. It's become apparent that our two years on our calendars are different anyway. May as well all be on the same page."

Ausgrid smiled. "This sounds like a fine idea…" He glanced to the other two monster rulers, both were looking enthusiastic.

Douglas clasped his hands. "It is settled then! On this day, we mark the start of a new year for all of us, the year 0."

Ausgrid smiled as smaller conversation began amongst the rulers. Outside though, the hooded figure gazed down at the meeting hall, chuckling as he turned away.

"The first domino has fallen. There is no stopping the waves of time now." Everything had been set in motion. Just according to plan.

* * *

_**AUTHORS NOTE**_

**Thus ends the first chronological chapter in the Undertale: Chronicle AU. A touch short yes, not as much conflict, this story was more to set the stage for future stories. With this, on to the next one!**


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